"Actually these two companies are owned by the same people anyway. Eighteen institutions own 50% plus of the two companies, but they have to keep their share certificates in two separate piles." David Elstein, the former Channel 5 and former head of Sky programming and Thames TV.

"I think it would have a lot of sense if we had an ITV that could work much more coherently and as a single entity." Former culture secretary Chris Smith.

ON ITV DIGITAL

"They did not pay enough attention to the operations, the boring day-to-day detail [of ITV]." Richard Freudenstein, BSkyB general manager.

"Just the way Sky presents its service is frankly unbeatable."Marcus Plantin, former director of ITV programming.

"Granada failed three times in multichannel TV before it ever got involved in ITV Digital - for those at the back of the class that's Super Channel, BSB and BSkyB."David Elstein.

"ITV were throwing £300m a year into ITV Digital. They didn't borrow a penny. I remember Steve Morrison [chief executive of Granada] sat in this very chair two years ago and boasted how he was funding this out of revenue and he hadn't borrowed a penny. What an amazing way to kill your core business." David Elstein.

ON ITV's FUTURE

"They [ITV] could lose share of 1-2% for the next four or five years before they level out and it would still be a powerhouse." Sir Christopher Bland, former chairman of LWT and the BBC.

"A single leadership, someone that we can all unite behind. In this marketplace, ITV needs to be single-minded, fleet of foot and decisive in a way that is different when you have two or three - SMG is a large shareholder too - have to be squared off."David Liddiment, outgoing director of programming.

ON WHO SHOULD BE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

"Dawn Airey." Richard Eyre, former ITV chief executive.

"No comment." Stuart Prebble, former ITV chief executive.

"No comment." Mick Desmond, current joint managing director, ITV.

"Dawn would be terrific."Eileen Gallagher, part owner of Shed Productions and former LWT Broadcasting managing director.

"Dawn is ambitious and also shrewd and I would be surprised if she entered into this bloodbath before it was all over."David Elstein.

ON ITV MANAGEMENT

"What we are dealing with is a decade of profound mismanagement." David Elstein.

"ITV was taken over by business executives who knew nothing about broadcasting. Their ability to lose money hand over fist was quite remarkable." David Elstein.

"By creating in effect three managements - one central management which is allegedly independent and two other managements who kind of shadow-box each other, you have got the worst of all worlds." David Elstein.

"The problem is you have five or six people calling themselves chief executives and five or six people calling themselves managing directors. And the problem is, if, for example, you are the MD of Yorkshire TV, you want to manage something."Stuart Prebble, former ITV chief executive.

"It was like two men fighting over an ice cream while the sun shines while David and his team turn on the air-conditioning. That's highly dysfunctional."Stuart Prebble.

"Joint chief executive - that term to me is a definition of dysfunctional. I know from my days at LWT that you another syndrome which is the dotted-line reporting. You might be in charge but you have dotted line to somebody else and in the end you can't make decisions."Eileen Gallagher.

"What happens in the next two years is critical and it needs to happen now. ITV shareholders need to act immediately." Eileen Gallagher.

"It was an extraordinary vision of failure, that within months of the departure of Stewart Prebble you appointed two managing directors - one from Granada and one from Carlton - infinitesimally adding to the paralysis that effects the whole system"David Elstein.

"I left ITV because I felt I was fighting for ITV and the shareholders had another agenda. They didn't want us to go on Sky Digital satellite which I thought was wrong for the network I ran. That's why I had to go."Richard Eyre, former chief executive of ITV speaking for the first time on why he departed.

"The single biggest blunder in the business was five years ago, was not to impose a digital licence fee. If the BBC had a digital licence fee instead of having an extra £200m a year to spend on digital, it would have just £80m a year."David Elstein.

ON WHINGEING ABOUT THE BBC'S JACUZZI OF CASH

"The BBC's charter renewal was in 2000. This is 2002. It was no surprise that the BBC would have been well-funded."David Elstein.

ON GREG DYKE

"I think he was unquestionably the right guy for job. Greg's very competitive and when he arrived there was cheering in the corridors, because he's a leader and a winner. He's not going to change his spots."Richard Eyre.